


My Body’s Aching and My Time is at Hand

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Drama, F/M, Missing Scene, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-12
Updated: 2014-10-12
Packaged: 2018-02-20 18:29:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2438570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>If I never see you again, for whatever reason, I wasn’t gonna walk away without telling you that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	My Body’s Aching and My Time is at Hand

**Author's Note:**

> This episode (Minimal Loss) just played on cable and this idea came to me for about the millionth time. Plausible or not, I want to write the story now. I’m also gonna use it for the alphabet meme and [](http://sipman.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://sipman.livejournal.com/)**sipman** ’s prompt of **S is for survive**. The title comes from the James Taylor song, _Fire and Rain_ , which had so many lyrics fit for this pairing and this story.

“Prentiss needs to talk.” Dan Torre came and handed Hotch the walkie-talkie.

“What?” the Unit Chief looked at him.

Torre pressed the recorder that picked up all the voices in the house. ‘Hotch, if you're there I need to talk to you. I need to talk to only you. I really hope you’re there.’

Hotch took a deep breath, it was ragged, and he could barely stop the tears that had been threatening to fall since they got to Colorado. When he looked at Torre, he knew that the other man knew and for the first time ever he just didn’t give a damn.

“We turned down the volume in the war room.” Torre said. “Out of respect.”

“What about the rest of the house…we need to hear what's going on?”

“We already know what's going on. Let’s hope Prentiss talks fast.”

He nodded and was left alone again. He turned up the walkie-talkie with a trembling hand.

“Aaron, I hope you can hear me. I know, I'm tying up the line but I need to say something and I’ll say it fast. I love you. I don’t give a damn who hears this though I surely hope it’s only you. We could all be blown to hell tonight; gotta love this job.” She smirked. “No, I do love my job.

“I love what we do and we’re gonna save people tonight. I don't know if we’ll save all of them, many are scared to leave. I’m scared too but I'm confident we can do this. If I never see you again, for whatever reason, I wasn’t gonna walk away without telling you that. I wish I could hear you say it one more time...it might make this a little easier. But we’ve never done the easy thing, have we?

“From day one it’s been an uphill battle. First just to be teammates, then to be friends I guess, and then to be what we are now. If its one thing we know well it’s the struggle. Hug Jack for me if anything happens and tell my parents and my sister that I love them. Tell the team that I love them.

“And promise me, Aaron that you’ll remind Spencer that I did what I had to. He’s gonna make this his fault but it’s not his fault. I wasn’t playing the hero or taking the fall…I just did what I had to. I gotta go, someone is coming. I love you.”

“I love you too, baby.” He whispered, holding back the floodgates as every emotion he could think of threatened to burst through. “Always.”

“Aaron?” Rossi put his hand on Hotch’s shoulder.

“She’s not gonna die.” He whispered, breathing through his nose like a bull about to charge.

“Not if we have anything to say about it.”

“I can't save her.”

“No, but you're sending us in there to do it. We’re gonna get our family out of there…alive.”

“Dammit!” Hotch stood and smashed the walkie-talkie to the ground. He had to get control of himself. It was harder than he thought. It always was which was why he did everything he could to not lose it.

“Yeah, we didn’t need that.” Rossi said. “They’re plenty more where that one came from.”

“Tell Torre to turn up the volume. She’s done talking, someone was coming.”

Hotch turned to see Rossi lift his finger up a few times and knew the war room was going back to normal. They were listening in, they were just a few thousand feet away; they could fix this. Emily was right; they weren't going to be able to save everyone. People would die tonight for what they believed in or what they couldn’t escape from. He didn’t want those people to be Prentiss or Reid.

She talked about Spencer blaming himself for what happened to her. Maybe he would; he had that tendency. But Hotch was the one really at fault. He wasn’t sure it was a good idea to send his people in undercover but he didn’t listen to his first instinct.

Maybe he would’ve if he knew about the damn attorney general trying to be the next Governor. That man didn’t give a damn whose lives he risked in the process. Hotch was sending his people into trap but he didn’t know that. If he only knew then what he knew now…hindsight was always 20-20.

“We’re getting ready.” Torre came back outside where the two men were standing. He was holding to bulletproof vests.

“I’ll be there in a minute.” Hotch said, taking his.

Rossi thought about saying something, trying to reassure, but there was nothing left to say. They just had to get in there and do their jobs. That was the only way Hotch would be alright; to have the people he loved back out there with him. So Rossi would shut his mouth and do his job. Words were just words; action was the only way to fix this.

***

Vicodin, Emily Prentiss definitely needed some Vicodin. Everything was hurting right now. She must have been running purely on adrenaline in that house because she didn’t feel this kind of ache. She didn’t feel this in the ambulance. She didn’t feel it when Hotch, Rossi, and everyone else in 100 mile vicinity insisted she go to the hospital to be checked out, and she didn’t feel it on the plane ride home. Holy hell, she felt it now though.

Emily slowly turned over and smiled. There on the nightstand was a glass of water and her precious drugs. She could kiss him; she could just kiss him. Except that he wasn’t there. There was no note so he couldn’t have gone far. She did her best to sit up, popped open the bills, and downed them with a glass of water. Then she slunk back under the blanket again.

“Work, work, work, work, work.” Emily muttered, her eyes half closed as she waited for the magic pills to make her smaller.

“You are absolutely, positively going nowhere near work today.” Hotch came back into the bedroom.

“What?” she opened her eyes and looked at him. He was carrying a bowl.

“You were muttering something about work.”

“Oh no, I want these damn pills to work.” she managed a smile, though that hurt too. “Is that for me?”

“Yes. You were supposed to eat before taking the pills.” Hotch sat down on the edge of the bed, putting the bowl on the nightstand by the water. “You shouldn’t take Vicodin on an empty stomach.”

“Been there, done that.”

“I see. C'mon, I’ll help you sit up.”

“Thanks.”

It took some time, she was sore as hell, but Hotch got her into a sitting position and pillows propped up behind her. Emily tried and failed to take a deep breath. The doctor said the ribs were bruised, not broken. That didn’t make her feel any better at the moment. She knew what broken ribs felt like, never wanted to experience it again. Bruised ribs still weren't a picnic in the park. Emily took the bowl on her lap and started eating the fruit salad.

“I got it from that stand a couple of blocks away that you love so much.” he said. “I would’ve left a note but I thought you'd sleep through my being gone.”

“I had a pain wake up call.” She replied. “It beats an alarm any day of the week. Mmm, I didn’t realize how hungry I was…thank you. Give me kisses now.”

Hotch smiled, leaning over to kiss her lips. Her face was bruised, battered, and it broke his heart. She could take it, she told him as much, but he wished she didn’t have to.

“What?” Emily asked as she watched his smile fade.

“You weren't sure if I could hear you but I heard you.” he said.

“I'm sorry?”

“In the compound you wanted to talk to me. I heard you.”

“You…” she stopped cold with a half of strawberry in her hand.

“I heard every word and I love you, Emily. I know there are a million rules and a million things that keep coming up but…when I thought there was a chance that I could lose you…”

“I'm here.”

“I was petrified. And I couldn’t even tell you that I loved you too because you were trapped in there. But I will tell everyday from now on. You will never have to wonder and you will never forget. I promise.”

“Rule #6,” Emily replied, smiling as she leaned forward to hug him. She didn’t care about the ache. It was starting to slide into that wondering feeling of nirvana anyway. She wasn’t sure if that was the pills or the declaration of the man she loved that he loved her too. He was right, there was always something.

It was the bumpiest ride she’d been on in too long to recall. Emily Prentiss had given up roller coasters years ago and now she was on the craziest one of all. There were twists, turns, upside down loops, and even the dark tunnels where she wasn’t sure if she’d ever see the light of day. But she wasn’t on this ride alone. He was beside her, holding her hand when it got scary and throwing up his arms in triumph when it was satisfying.

“Eat some more of that fruit.” Hotch said, letting go though he hardly wanted to. “You need to feed the pills. Then you should probably get some more sleep.”

“I hate being confined to bed, Hotch. I'm not a good patient.”

“Its bed for today; tomorrow we can discuss moving you down to the couch or something.”

“You're gonna stay here all day and take care of me.”

“Absolutely.” He nodded. “I'm not going anywhere today or tomorrow. After that…”

“I’ll take the two days.” She held his hand. “Too bad I'm all bruised up. It sucks to have to be in bed all alone.”

“Even at my gentlest, its not gonna happen.” He kissed her nose.

She made a noise of frustration and threw her head back on the pillows. Emily could really give a damn if they had sex…this was about much more. He was going to be there. He was holding on and not letting go.

For the time being Hotch was putting her first; them first. Was it worth getting the shit kicked out of her by some religious nut, not really? But it was nice to take the really good with the really fucked up. For the first time in a while, Emily Prentiss could say she was coming out better than even.

“I think you need to get some more sleep.” Hotch said. “And when you wake up I’ll fix you some lunch and we’ll do something really fun in bed.”

“Ooh, what?” Emily handed him her bowl. She’d eaten about three-quarters of the fruit salad. He handed her the water and she drank the rest.

“Woody Allen.”

“We’re gonna do Woody Allen?” she raised an eyebrow.

“We’re doing Woody Allen movies. There’s _Radio Days_ , _Manhattan Murder Mystery_ , and _Hannah and her Sisters_. If you can stay awake long enough, I’ll throw in _Everyone Says I Love You_.”

“I love that movie.” Emily smiled.

“I know.” Hotch did too, showing off his dimples. “First though, you need to sleep. I'm sure those pills have kicked in and you're feeling nice and relaxed.”

“Mmm,” she sunk down on the bed as he fixed her pillows. “I do feel kinda floaty.”

“Good.” He leaned to give her a kiss. “Sleep.”

“You'll be here when I wake up?” Emily closed her eyes.

“I’ll be here. In fact, I’ll lie with you…surely I could use the rest.”

“Yeah, you work too hard. I've been meaning to get on you about that.”

“Later, baby, I promise.”

Stripping back down to his boxers and tee shirt, Hotch climbed into bed and held Emily’s hand. He closed his eyes and wondered where his dreams would take him. As long as it wasn’t back to that compound, he would be alright. They were both going to be alright.

***

  



End file.
